An armored vigilante is hunting down escapees from Fort Rozz.
Tropes in this episode:
- An Aesop: You shouldn't seek to solve a tragedy with another.
- Adaptation Species Change: In the comics, Carl Draper AKA the Master Jailer was a human. Here, he's a Trombusan - a humanoid alien.
- All Crimes Are Equal: The Master Jailer executes the escapees regardless of their crimes, and ignores the fact that they were living peacefully on Earth until he started hunting them.
- Alpha Bitch: Kara's semi-replacement, Siobhan. She adroitly and cruelly manipulates Kara into looking bad in front of Cat, and later exhibits an It's All About Me attitude when describing her ambition to become the next Cat.
- The Atoner: Dr. Luzano learned the wrong on his ways and lived honestly on Earth.
- Blunt Metaphors Trauma: Luzano tends to mix up words when using human metaphors, like saying that he and Supergirl are up a creek without a "poodle" instead of "paddle".
- Comes Great Responsibility: James tells Kara that she should be better since she is more powerful than any human army.
- Continuity Nod: According to Kara, Lord got those Netflix privileges he was asking for.
- Disproportionate Retribution: While the Master Jailer's first victim in the episode was guilty of murder and thus arguably deserving of a death penalty, Luzano was a drug smuggler who did it out of financial desperation—and who was caught on his very first attempt, so he'd never managed to smuggle any drugs to anyone.
- Due to the Dead: The episode starts with Astra's Kryptonian funeral. Non invites Kara to attend, and even asks her to give the traditional prayer, since she's Astra's sole remaining blood relative.
- Dynamic Entry: Alex rappels into the Master Jailer's ship after announcing her presence (and making a hole) with high explosives.
- Exactly What I Aimed At: While struggling with the Master Jailer, Alex fires her pistol several times, missing him but putting a decent hole in the roof above his ship. He mocks her for wasting ammo, but she in fact did it so yellow sunlight would be let in, negating the red sunlight he had been using to keep Supergirl depowered.
- Foil:
- We can see the major differences between Supergirl and the Master Jailer. While Supergirl advocates Thou Shalt Not Kill when dealing with criminals, the Master Jailer leaves no prisoners alive, executing them all according to his personal sense of justice.
- Siobhan is a foil to Kara; they have the same job, but Siobhan is openly ambitious and hungry for advancement, and more manipulative and underhanded than the nice, more open Kara.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: A variant is used when Max Lord is being released. When Lord threatens to expose them, Supergirl appeals to his humanity, and then Alex threatens him right back with exposure of his own misdeeds.
- I Did What I Had to Do: How Kara tries to justify locking Maxwell Lord up to James.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: James mentioning the DEO by name before Lucy does is what makes her realize that he is close to Supergirl.
- Ironic Echo: The title, a classic piece of Superman lore, here appears to be contrasting Truth and Justice with the current American Way of locking away some individuals without due process in the name of security.
- I Told You So: As J'onn complained about two episodes ago, you can't just kidnap one of the richest and most famous men on the planet without someone noticing. It doesn't take Lucy long to figure out that the DEO is responsible, thanks to her military contacts.
- Jurisdiction Friction: The stereotypical annoyance the local cops have when FBI shows up asking about a case makes an appearance.
- Justified Criminal: Luzano tried to sell drugs because he needed the money to pay for one of his wives' medical treatment.
- Knight Templar: The Master Jailer will stop at nothing to execute the Fort Rozz inmates in the name of justice. Supergirl also flirts with this.
- Last Request: Luzano gives one to the Master Jailer, asking him to let Kara go. He replies that last requests are a human concept.
- Malicious Misnaming: Kara notices that Cat doesn't do this to Siobhan, as opposed to herself.
- Mutually Assured Destruction: Referenced by name by Max Lord when Alex informs him that if he blows the whistle on the DEO, they have enough information on his illegal activities that they'll release to law enforcement to ensure he is ruined as well.
- My Greatest Failure: Cat confides in James that when she was starting out as a gossip columnist, she had a piece on a charming actor everyone spoke of highly but a makeup artist indicated the man beat his wife. Cat kept quiet, caving to the pressure of the studio PR chief, and did a puff piece. Three months later, the actor shot his wife. Cat is clearly affected by not doing what she should have in reporting the story, and wonders if the wife would still be alive if she had.Cat: That's why we do what we do. Not only to be good journalists but to be good people.
- Mythology Gag:
- "Hank" and Alex make a reference to Lobo which is as subtle as the Main Man himself:Hank: We could be dealing with an interstellar bounty hunter.
Alex: [nervously] You don't think...
"Hank": No... no. If he were in town, we'd know. - Dr. Luzano is a native of the planet Starhaven, which in the comics is the homeworld of the Legion of Super-Heroes member Dawnstar. On Earth, Luzano teaches astronomy.
- Supergirl makes a possible reference to Gotham, with her comment towards the Master Jailer that she thought masks were only used in that other city. Going by how the upcoming crossover with The Flash (2014) is being handled, it could mean anywhere.
- "Hank" and Alex make a reference to Lobo which is as subtle as the Main Man himself:
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If Master Jailer's ship wasn't glowing underneath the cabin's fake floor, Alex and the DEO agents would never have found where Supergirl is.
- Noodle Incident: From the way that J'onn and Alex reference him, it seems that the DEO has had some sort of prior encounter with Lobo.
- Off with His Head!: The Master Jailer has a high-tech laser guillotine he uses to execute his prisoners.
- Red Herring: Initially, the abrasive black cop is J'onn and Alex's prime suspect for being the Master Jailer. It isn't him, it's his partner.
- Sassy Secretary: Cat's newest assistant Siobhan Smythe gets the secretary job done much better than Kara, and she won't hesitate to rub it in her nose.
- Shout-Out:
- Kara notes that the DEO has given Lord Netflix privileges in his cell. When he loses his cool at her as she leaves, she coolly recommends Call the Midwife.
- Kara says she's always wanted to bust a dirty cop ever since binge-watching The Wire.
- Straw Hypocrite: Master Jailer seeks to executes all criminals, but he kills various DEO members and an innocent police officer, and tries to kill Alex and Supergirl.
- Suddenly Shouting: During his dialogue with Kara, Maxwell Lord suddenly loses his cool demeanor and shouts at her that without him, she'd be dead.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Kara justifies arresting and imprisoning Lord without trial on the grounds that he is a threat to humanity and is therefore forfeit of rights. Once the Master Jailer inflicts the same fate upon her, she becomes a lot less eager to apply that logic and has him released.
- Title Drop: During one of his What the Hell, Hero? speeches to Kara, James tells her that Supergirl stands for "truth, justice..." but doesn't add the cheesy final phrase.
- Troll: Alex intentionally needles a cop about how the crime rate has gone down dramatically since Supergirl appeared.
- Villainous Valor: Non invites Kara to Astra's funeral without any dirty tricks, assuring her that he'll give them both time to mourn first, then kill her.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: How Lord tries to justify his actions. Kara throws it right back in his face, saying that the world is better off without him.
- What the Hell, Hero?: James has to give two such speeches to Kara about arresting Maxwell Lord without due process. That and dealing with the Master Jailer convinces her to release Lord, though Alex makes sure to have some leverage so he doesn't spill the beans once he's out.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Having been a guard on Fort Rozz, The Master Jailer holds a deep admiration for Alura, a fact that disturbs Kara to no end since her mother was categorically opposed to capital punishment.
